Obsessed with digital culture: writing on film, TV, music, and the internet

Author: Lee Tyrrell

In his latest post, Benjamin wrote about the importance of archiving the internet. Reading it, it was alarming to learn just how much of the web fades quickly into void. Whenever a fledgling site finds itself in an eternally irretrievable tomb, it’s a surreal shame. Though many of these sites consist of nothing but abject posturing, it’s the equivalent of burning a printed page. Even worse is the notion that, in this metaphor, it would be the only remaining page on the planet with its unique content. Whether that page contains weak poetry, or sprawling and elegant prose, it’s symbolic of a loss that evokes death in its permanence.…
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What is a “Hatfro”? It’s what happens when 90’s video game graphics are so ambiguous that it can’t decide if something is hair or head-wear. It’s only a small part of this SC Streamcast, but a point worth clearing up. Having said that, what exactly is an SC Streamcast anyway? With this being only our second episode, I’m not entirely sure that we know ourselves. In many ways, and with my hand on my heart, it’s a whim; a half-baked idea that I’m playing around with. While its off-the-cuff nature is undeniable, there is some consideration behind its format. Streams, as delightful and interesting as they can be, are quite exclusive in their scope and focus.…
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Click here to get a free copy of the tape mailed to you. Scroll down for the full track-list and samples!

This is something we’ve been planning and working on in the background since we announced our physical zine. While Issue #1: Birthis 100% free, including postage and packaging, we want to give all we can to subscribers. Therefore, anyone who’s signed up will also receive an equally free tape of music and MP3 download of the contents. For those who don’t make it onto our mailing list before publication, Volume #1: Birth will be available on Bandcamp. However, this initial run of tapes is going to be unique.…
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On a neglected side-street of Manchester’s city centre, Gorilla sits quietly in the surrounding sprawl. To its right, past a tunnel perfectly sculpted for a stealthy, drunken evening piss, lies Dog Bowl; a bar teetering on the edge of achingly hipster, offering ten-pin bowling as a cacophonous aperitif to overpriced culinary dirge. Given that even the local trams feature caricatures with Monopoly Man moustaches, it seems an inescapable aesthetic. While the stereotype can cause an itch when you’re handing over double for a Jameson and Coke, it’s a welcoming and, eventually, comfortable world to sparsely visit. Within Gorilla, where that sub-culture seems defined, Tim Heidecker and Neil Hamburger proved, in more ways than one, that assumption is all too often erroneous.…
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It feels incredible to be writing here again. For those who don’t know, or didn’t notice, our domain went offline for almost an entire week. This, obviously, left Benjamin and I distraught and distressed for the down-time’s duration. It effected every area of our output, with it even coming close to causing a permanent cessation. Despite such devastating circumstances, we’ve been able to move past it confidently in readiness for our next phase. As a result of the issues with the domain, a backlog of tasks requiring completion has built up. An Office Chart is well overdue, though I did state in the previous one that it might be the last.…
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This article ties in to a podcast I recorded with Sean Tillmann, available here.

Har Mar Superstar is the cipher through which Sean Tillmann expresses his art. Over nearly twenty years of activity, Tillmann has brought immense integrity to a constantly evolving catalogue. Nowhere is this more true than on his latest EP, Personal Boy. Taking all of his previous material and expanding on it naturally, Personal Boy is an exciting growth that works just as well on its own gargantuan merits. It consists of a mere three tracks (and a radio edit), though each is strong enough to outlive the brevity of the record as a whole.…
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It seems that I lied in my previous post, intended as a sort of temporary finale. The idea was for that to be the last piece on Secret Cave until Issue #1: Birth sees release. I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case. Too many things have happened that require a small update on the site itself. So, while Benjamin and I keep working on the zine, I thought I’d put this out as timely housekeeping. Incidentally, before I move into other territory, work on the zine has been a mixed bag. We’ve been coming out with some very strong results lately, and I can’t wait to make them public.…
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This piece, which I’ve had planned in my mind for some time now, has proven intensely difficult to begin. In many ways, it signals a door closing. Perhaps that’s why I get a general sense of foreboding in its writing. On the other hand, while we’re certainly turning our backs on the past, it’s also indicative of a potential corridor of new doors opening up for us. Leaving the metaphors aside for one moment, Secret Caveis changing. To put it another way, we’re evolving.

In actuality, we’ve been evolving since our inception just under a year ago. At first, we were nothing more than a listless domain name; the site on which you read these words was a mere clotheshorse for the abject literary whims of its co-founders.…
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When I spoke to Doug Lussenhop last month, we got into a surreal internet standoff. It all started innocently, with a conversation about the addiction we all have to our phones. It’s true that all too much of our time is spent scrolling through infinite news feeds. Personally, I could be far more productive than I am by simply turning off my phone. We’re all guilty of it in certain respects, with Lussenhop combating it by spending dedicated time, in the sticks, away from social media. For me, as someone who needs to learn lessons in a similar fashion to a hamster, more direct incentive is necessary.…
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